


Contradictory Comfort

by xxxbookaholic



Series: Fantober Writing 2020 [1]
Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: Autumn, Canon Compliant, Childhood Friends, Flashbacks, Fluff, M/M, Pre-Canon, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:22:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26754253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxxbookaholic/pseuds/xxxbookaholic
Summary: Yuki and Taichi themselves were contradictory; friends from the past and friends in the future, but strangers in the in-between.
Relationships: Nanao Taichi & Rurikawa Yuki, Nanao Taichi/Rurikawa Yuki
Series: Fantober Writing 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1948714
Comments: 1
Kudos: 28





	Contradictory Comfort

**Author's Note:**

> prompt: first day of fall

Autumn meant a lot of things to Taichi. It was his favorite season, by far; and not just because of the upcoming plays he had the chance to star in. A layer of calm always settled over Veludo when fall rolled around. Leaves were raked, houses were decorated, street acts became more vibrant, and candy apples were sold at every corner.

He couldn’t remember exactly what had happened in his past to make the season so beautiful to him; his childhood was kind of blurry, memories full of going through the motions and trying his best to stand out among his peers. Somehow, though, even years later, he’d always felt a connection to the season.

◤◢◣◥◤◢◣◥◤◢◣◥◤◢◣◥

_“Mom, why are we even here?” Taichi complained, standing on his tip-toes to try and get a better look around the market they were walking through. It was full of people, talking and laughing and crowding around booths like it was the end of the world._

_His mom just continued to make her way through the people, her eyes scanning around, as if she was looking for someone. “I need to buy new bar soap and I heard there’s a booth that sells that here. It’s closer than the convenience store, too.”_

_Taichi didn’t understand how the fifteen minute drive to the convenience store was better than the ten minute walk to the market, but he understood that even if he continued to ask questions, all he’d get is distracted answers, so he kept his mouth shut._

_There was one good thing about the market place, though; the smell of sugar and caramel was hanging in the air, giving the whole place a comfortable, home-y atmosphere. It made the whole place feel warmer, even with the cold air that was pushing up against his clothes and making his bones shiver._

_Somewhere across the sea of people, he could see where his mom was heading. It was a modern booth; just a plain white table, a box of hand-sewn clothes, and a shelf full of soap. He couldn’t see more than that from where he was, though, so he just grabbed the back of his mom’s shirt and followed her through the crowd, feeling like he was blind and deaf._

_“Oh, wait. You’re kind of familiar. Do I know you?” His mom suddenly asked. Taichi glanced up from where he had been eyeing the cracks in the sidewalk to see that they were directly in front of the table. Now that he was closer, he could see all of the details, like the petite lady standing on the other side of the booth, the pink stars that littered the tablecloth, and the green-haired girl that sat in the corner of the booth._

_The girl seemed like she was about his age, sticking a needle through a piece of blue fabric and not paying any attention to the people around her._

_He was instantly attached._

_The lady running the booth was quiet for a moment, narrowing her eyes and looking them over like she was trying to place them. Then, her eyes widened. “Oh, yes! You’re Nanao, right? You live next door,” the woman smiled pleasantly, her eyes crinkling when she did so._

_Apparently, that caught the girl in the back’s attention, because she raised her head from the fabric she was working with and tilted her head. Taichi looked back at her and they made eye contact. He didn’t know how to explain it, but somehow, her eyes seemed flat. Like she was suspicious of him, just for living near her. It only lasted for a second, though, because she turned towards her mom just a few seconds after._

_“I’m Rurikawa, by the way. It’s nice to finally meet you,” the lady continued kindly._

_Taichi’s mom nodded. “It’s nice to meet you, too.”_

_Pretty soon, their conversation went back to business, his mom asking about the soaps they sold and Rurikawa talking about the ingredients she used. All the while, the girl in the back crossed her legs again and continued to push the needle through the blue fabric._

_Taichi opened his mouth to introduce himself, but he closed it soon after, unsure of what to say. She seemed kind of unapproachable; not mean, but closed off._

_Apparently, he took too long deciding what to talk about, because before he could even say hi, his mom was waving goodbye and making her way through the crowd again, leaving him to follow clumsily._

_When he turned back, though, his eyes met the girl’s again. Just as quickly as he’d noticed, she looked away, but he still waved anyway._

_On their way home, the only thing he could say was, “next time we need soap, can we go there again?”_

_His mom laughed, ruffled his hair, and responded, “maybe,” and that was that._

_In the end, they did go back, but by that point, the booth was already gone, boxes were already packed in a moving truck, and the girl was already out of his reach._

╳°»｡ ∾･⁙･ ღ ➵ ⁘ ➵ ღ ･⁙･∾ ｡«°╳

“Hey, dog, what are you staring off into space for?” Yuki’s voice suddenly broke through Taichi’s reminiscing. He was standing directly in front of Taichi, somewhere he hadn’t been just a few moments ago, and he was waving a candy apple in his face. “Here, take it. I’m not going to carry it around all day.”

Taichi blinked a few times, and then smiled, taking the candy apple from him. “Thank you, Yuki-chan.”

Yuki rolled his eyes, already stepping away so they could continue looking at all of the shops. “Whatever.”

Taichi laughed, following Yuki’s gaze toward a booth that was just a few feet away from them. It was by far one of the blandest there; just a simple white table, a box of hand soaps, and a few hand-sewn jackets, and yet Yuki seemed entranced by it.

“Want to go that one?” Taichi asked, pointing to the soap booth. Yuki seemed to snap out of it, furrowing his eyebrows. “No, I have no interest in soap. Come on, dog, this way,” he turned on his heel and began walking down another aisle, already scanning the jewelry stands.

Taichi didn’t respond to that, just laughed again and followed, his hair waving in the wind and his nose numbed by the cold.

In that moment, it felt like the past and future were clashing, a fight that could never be won nor lost. Yuki and Taichi themselves were contradictory; friends from the past and friends in the future, but strangers in the in-between.

Somehow, though, despite the contradictions that sometimes made his brain hurt, it all made sense when they were like this, pushing through crowds of people and just enjoying each other’s presence.

The cold suddenly felt a little warmer, the browns and reds on the ground suddenly seemed a little bit more colorful, and the gleam in Yuki’s eyes looked a little brighter.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed! This is my first time writing Taiyuki, so I hope I did them justice. If you liked this fic, please leave kudos and/or a comment! It keeps me writing! Also, if you want to see my headcanons, incorrect quotes, and more of my writing, you can check out my tumblr! My user is xxxbookaholic!


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